Training Events

The North Texas Small Society ConferenceJune 11th, 2016 10:00am to 4:00pm

Sorry, registration for the conference has closed.Payments can still be submitted at the bottom of the page.

What: A conference focused on issues facing UU congregations of less than 75 members. (Just because yours is a bit larger doesn't mean you need to stay away; we may just be looking at issues that don't effect your congregation as strongly.)

When (Schedule): Saturday, June 11th, 2016

Registration opens at 10:00am with light breakfast and beverages. An ingathering service will be held at 11:00am followed by our keynote address. We'll break for lunch after the keynote.

The afternoon will start off with three different breakout sessions.

Following the breakout sessions we will gather again in one group to share our experiences during the breakout sessions.

The conference will conclude with another short service and wrap up at 4:00pm.

Who: Members of lay-led congregations with less than 75 members, and those congregations in the process of forming. You are our target audience. Even if your congregation is a bit larger, you might be relying primarily on volunteers instead of professionals - and many of the issues you face will be the same.

Why: Our UU congregations in North Texas continue to grow, so we must be doing SOMETHING right. Let's find out what it is - and build on it!

We don't want to limit our discussion to the six fellowship-sized congregations in North Texas. If you'd like to drive down from Oklahoma, over from Arkansas, or in from West or Central Texas, you are all welcome to join us.

How Much Will It Cost: We are trying to do this as simply and inexpensively as possible. Registration is just $25 per person - which will also get you lunch. If you are from a non-NTUUC congregation, such as Waco or Wichita Falls, we will be waiving the registration fees.

Please note that registration will close on June 6th. Please don't wait to sign up!

What Are We Going To Talk About:Our morning keynote address will be delivered by Matt Pargeter-Villarreal, our sponsored ministerial student this year. Our theme for this conference is “Love Beyond Belief – Family Style.”

The afternoon breakout sessions will be:

Growing Membership hosted by Keven Holt and Carrie Jacobs

Becoming a Welcoming Congregation will be hosted by Matt and Fernando Pargeter-Villarreal

Developing a Covenant of Right Relation will be hosted by Doreen and Zak Kazak

As for what else we will talk about - that's up to you! What has made life in your congregation better in the last few years? We want to share the best of what we do, and learn from each other.

What Else:To register, please use the webform below. You can pay safely online with the link to PayPal at the bottom of this page. Additional questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Speaker Biographies:Matthew Pargeter-Villarreal is the student minister at Arlington Unitarian Universalist Church. He's starting his 2nd year at Brite Divinity School (located on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth), where he is working on his Masters of Divinity with a concentration in Sexual and Gender Justice. He's also the chairperson of the Welcoming Congregation Committee and serves as a member of the Worship and Religious Education Committees at Arlington UU.

Matt and his husband, Fernando, moved to Fort Worth from San Antonio, TX last Summer. While in San Antonio, Matt earned an Associates degree in Paralegal Studies from Brown Mackie College and a Bachelors degree in Spanish and International Studies from University of the Incarnate Word, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Please use the button below to pay your registration fee if you haven't already.Payments by check or cash will be accepted at the door.